Day One: Junior Year

I'm sure you've heard the saying that Junior year of high school is the worst? Well, when I heard it, I didn't really believe it. Especially when I had a fairly simple schedule, comparatively. What this saying doesn't tell you about is the college-prep you're supposed to do. In fact, few people will tell you to start preparing for college Junior year. I don't mean the ACT and SAT, those are state-mandated and so completely unavoidable. I wish someone had told me to start applying for colleges and scholarships my junior year, or even earlier.

"Applying for colleges a year early?" you say. "They don't even allow that." This is true. But if I started compiling a list of all my accomplishments and random, elusive awards and achievements that may have any sway over my eligibility my Junior year, or even earlier, I would have been saved alot of late nights spent trying to remember and scrounge around for anything that would make it more likely for me to get into my college of choice. In fact, I think parents should give their children an "Accomplishment Book" when they are about 8 so they can start recording every little award they get, from 8Th Grade Continuation to "Happiest Camper" award at summer camp. Honestly, some of the middle school and junior high activities are getting so far advanced, they almost count for college credit. In any case, they often count toward scholarships. It's be easier if we started keeping track from the very beginning.

That's another thing: scholarships. I wish someone had at least told me to start thinking about them and researching them when I was about 10. I might not have listened, but maybe I would have at least looked for ten minutes. Have you ever looked on the Internet for what kinds of scholarships are out there? They're giving them out to freshmen now, if you know what to do! I wish someone had shown me those. Instead, I was scrambling to find any scholarship that would give me any amount of money to put towards tuition. Unfortunately, so was every other incoming freshman. There are some scholarships where you have to have been doing something for years, and that's great if you naturally are drawn to some obscure activity, but for those of us who can't play chess very well or don't spend an inordinate amount of time on Twitter, there isn't too much left except essay contests. I found a scholarship that gave you quite a bit of money...if you had a well-read blog. How many high-school students would think to get a blog going? I didn't! Wish someone had forced me to write one as a freshman...

Anyway, I digress. All-in-all, between scholarship searching, applying for college, ACT, SAT, and worrying about Senior year, Junior year is definitely one of the hardest of High School. Maybe someone will wise up one day and warn the freshmen what's in store and end this downward cycle of stress and ulcers...